I love that running constantly teaches you things. Or more, reminds you of things.

I had a pretty blatant reminder of something that is so simple but that I too often forget during the past two days of running. No two runs ever go the same. Sometimes the runs that you think will be the best end up being the hardest.

 

Monday after two days of rest (I ended up taking another rest day Sunday due to my schedule) I hopped back on the treadmill to run.

I had originally planned on running outside, but after being out there for a while and realizing the wind was brutal I opted to take it to the gym.

Monday Treadmill Run

I ended up doing just over  5 miles. The last mile I threw in a “one minute on, one minute off” just to see how I was doing. It went amazing. I felt like I could have run forever.

This was the first run since starting back that I felt like my old self.

 

Just a few thoughts on Monday’s run:

  • It felt effortless
  • I was able to lose myself in the run. Even on a treadmill.
  • Feeling that I was back to my old self.
  • My body felt strong.
  • No stomach issues that sometimes haunt me.
  • I felt hope.

 

I had been looking forward to Tuesday since last week. The weather was supposed to be in the mid-40’s and I knew that meant I would be able to get a run in outside.

I had already planned a shorter but easier run so that I could really relax and enjoy the beautiful temperatures.

Tuesday Horrible Run

I had to babysit early this morning and once I got home I got dressed and headed out on the open road. I was beyond excited, that was until I started running.

 

A few thoughts on Tuesday’s run:

  • My legs felt like lead.
  • I had no energy and dragged pretty much the entire run.
  • I kept getting nauseous.
  • I had to stop at the 2 mile turn around and rest.
  • I just wanted it to end.

 

I was so thankful to be out in the beautiful weather running, but my body just was not having it.

Running once again reminded me that you never know what the day is going to hold.  In a lot of ways, it’s exactly the same as the marathon itself.

Running a race is just like training. You never know what kind of day you are going to have. Some times you can fuel properly, warm up, stretch, and have everything on point and still have a bad race.  There is always a part of mystery in running and racing, and in a way I think that is what draws me to it.  It’s exciting, it’s rewarding and when you do have those good days there is nothing better.

 

How have your runs gone so far this week?

Have you ever had a race go really poorly even though you did everything right?

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